Well since my previous post on finding the right childcare facility a couple of people have sent questions about finding babysitters or nannies. I thought it was only fair to offer my advice on finding those as well.
What qualifies me to give these tips? I have been a career nanny for the last 7 years. Before that I had been doing babysitting for 5 years. I have worked for many amazing families and I love dedicating my life to providing quality childcare for families.
Anyway, let's jump into finding the right babysitter for your family. Not all of us are lucky enough to have parents nearby to babysit when we want a date night. For some families it's important to have a really amazing, trustworthy person to watch their kids, and for others they just need the kids to be alive when they get home because they will only use the babysitter for maybe a couple hours a month.
Before you even start looking for a babysitter you need to think over and decide a few things with your significant other:
When you have those questions sorted out, it's time to start your search. Depending on what you are looking for you can try an online nanny website, a service, putting an ad in the newspaper or even just asking around if anyone has a good babysitter that could use some extra hours. After you find a couple good candidates it's time to schedule interviews.
From the nanny's perspective it's much more pleasant to meet in a public place like a coffee shop or a park if you haven't met the babysitter before. As a nanny you never know what to expect when an employer you met online just gives you an address to a house. I always feel much more comfortable when I know it's a public place and I'm not going to wind up on the 5 o'clock news. You can decide if you want to bring your kids or not. Ask the person you are interviewing to bring several references and a resume if they have one. You may ask for the references and check them before the interview, but I find it's more polite if you weed out some of the candidates in person before you bother all of the references.
You should come with a list of questions ready to ask the candidates. Print out a different sheet for each person so you can write their answers down if you want to review later. Here is a few questions if you are stuck on what to ask.
If all of these answers are to your liking and their inteview went well it is time to pick your nanny/babysitter! If you are still unsure after references are checked, have an audition. Either leave the house and let the babysitter audition, or just stay in the house and see how the sitter interacts with the children. Feel free to post any other questions you may have!
What qualifies me to give these tips? I have been a career nanny for the last 7 years. Before that I had been doing babysitting for 5 years. I have worked for many amazing families and I love dedicating my life to providing quality childcare for families.
Anyway, let's jump into finding the right babysitter for your family. Not all of us are lucky enough to have parents nearby to babysit when we want a date night. For some families it's important to have a really amazing, trustworthy person to watch their kids, and for others they just need the kids to be alive when they get home because they will only use the babysitter for maybe a couple hours a month.
Before you even start looking for a babysitter you need to think over and decide a few things with your significant other:
- How many hours a week will you use the babysitter/nanny?
- Does age or rather experience matter to you?
- How much were you thinking about paying?
- Are you ready to pay for extras like gas and entertaining the kids, or do you want the babysitter to take that out of his/her salary?
- Do you need someone to do educational things with the kids or just someone to watch them for a few hours?
- Are you open to someone bringing their own kids or sharing a nanny with another family or do you want only your kids to be in the house?
When you have those questions sorted out, it's time to start your search. Depending on what you are looking for you can try an online nanny website, a service, putting an ad in the newspaper or even just asking around if anyone has a good babysitter that could use some extra hours. After you find a couple good candidates it's time to schedule interviews.
From the nanny's perspective it's much more pleasant to meet in a public place like a coffee shop or a park if you haven't met the babysitter before. As a nanny you never know what to expect when an employer you met online just gives you an address to a house. I always feel much more comfortable when I know it's a public place and I'm not going to wind up on the 5 o'clock news. You can decide if you want to bring your kids or not. Ask the person you are interviewing to bring several references and a resume if they have one. You may ask for the references and check them before the interview, but I find it's more polite if you weed out some of the candidates in person before you bother all of the references.
You should come with a list of questions ready to ask the candidates. Print out a different sheet for each person so you can write their answers down if you want to review later. Here is a few questions if you are stuck on what to ask.
- What are you looking for in compensation?
- How many hours a week are you interested in working?
- Are you available for last minute emergencies?
- How do you discipline children?
- What would you do if you were playing in the park with my child and he/she fell off the swing and his or her head started to bleed?
- If I were to look in your car right now, how clean is it?
- What are some of your favorite hobbies or activites?
- What activities do you do with children?
- How much tv do you allow children to watch?
- Do you have any first aid or cpr training?
- Are you open to a background check and submitting your driving history?
If all of these answers are to your liking and their inteview went well it is time to pick your nanny/babysitter! If you are still unsure after references are checked, have an audition. Either leave the house and let the babysitter audition, or just stay in the house and see how the sitter interacts with the children. Feel free to post any other questions you may have!
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